ROYAL BETROTHAL. PARIS, Friday. - Adrices from Luxemburg state that Princess Char lotte, the new Grand Duchess, became engaged on Tuesday to an Austrian of ficer, Felitu Dcparme, a brother uf the ex-Empress of Austria.

GENERAL CABLES FOOD FOR THE ENEMY. AMSTERDAM, ^Friday.-Provisions from the British Army for Italy have arrived in Vienna under British escort. It is always recognised that tho Aus trian treatment of prisoners has been more humano than tho. treatment ac corded them by tho Germans.

rLAGTJE OP RATS TN BRITAIN. T.OXDOX. Friday-There is a plague of rats in Britain which is so serious that the Board of Agriculture has es tablished a special department to cope with tho plague, under expert con trol.

V.C/S COURAGE 'SHOT OFF SNAKE-BITTEN FINGER. An incident in the boyhood days oí Lieut. A. C. Korella, V.C., M.M., as showing his pluck, coolness and cour age, was related at a social gathering nt Echuca. [ Major Blezard told how, while young Corella was on a hunting excursion with a gun, ho was bitten on the finger by a snake. Xot having tho means of scarifying the wound, he placed thc finger on the top of the muzzle, an;! pulled the trigger, hoping to blow thc bitten part off. The charge, however, merely grazed the surface. Nothing daunted, he re-loaded tlib gun, and fir j lng again with his finger close to the i muzzle, blev off the bitten part.

SWISS EXPEL BOLSHEVIKS. BERNE, Friday.-Tile Swiss Gov ernment is dealing in a drastical man ner with German and Russian Bolshe vik agents. Mnnv are under surveil lance, and there have been a number of arrests. A snccial train leaves lo-day with undesirables for tho front ier.

WHARF LABORERS RESTIVE. AN OMINOUS RESOLUTION. Tho settlement of, tho shipping trou ble in Sydney gives no certainty of in dustrial peace on the wharves. In deed, action of ominous significance bas bcen_taken by the wharf workers' organisation. That body has carried a resolution as follows : That this branch of the Waterside Workers' Federation of . Australia views with alarm the steady inroad of union workers 'on the water front of Sydney, and, since the whole pf the coaling ships, leaving Port, " Jack son and tho wharf-laboring work of all deep-sea vessels is done by this class of humanity, wo arc now asking tho Seamen's Union of Australia, as unionists, to immediately come to our rescue as brothers in arms. Further, that the Federated Seamen's Union of Australia also notify its brothers in England to the effect that all steam ers leaving for England from the port of Sydney arc loaded bv non-unionists, and that the cargo is "black." The resolution, which the president of the union...

JfEN ACCEPT AWARD RATES. ?'? LAUNCESTON,- Sunday-The laun ceston manager of the Union Co. re ceived .a message from Melbourne to day to tho effect that the Seamen's Union had notified the Shipping Fed eration that it'was prepared to. put a crew on tho Loongana at award rates. In this case the Loongana should leave Melbourne to-morrow (Monday) for Launceston, and tho Rotomabana will revert to her old running of twice weekly.

PERSONAL The headmaster of thc East Devon port State School ^Mr. E. H. London) was advised on Saturday that Iiis son, Lieut. S. London, is expected to reach Melbourne by the troopship Bombala, on February 9. Lieut. London is an other of the Devonport Anzacs, and has fought in Egypt, Gallipoli, and France, und. lias also served on the staff in England. Mr. and-Mrs. A. J. Stokes, of De vonport, have now received official ad vice that their sons, Corporal Trevor Stokes and Gunner W. C. Stokes, will reach Melbourne bv the troopship Ka roola on 26th inst., thus confirming the news published on Saturday. Cor poral Stokes has seen three years' ac tive service, during which ho was three times wounded, and is now in valided home on account of a bullet in the chest. Gunner Stokes has been twico wounded, and is also invalided, thc last injuries being gunshot wounds in tho groin, and others which neces sitated thc amputation of the left foot. '.' IOOt. Mr. and Mrs. James Wilson, of Enst Devonpo...

CHEAPER BEER TORT DARWIN'S DEMAND. A crowded public meeting was ucla in tho Town Hall "at l'ort Darwin ! (Northern Territory) under tho aus pices of the Stnto hotel bar boycott j committee. It was presided over by the Mayor (Cr. Watts). . . I An organised campaign aganist the i payment-of income tax "until the! rights of citizenship" have been seenr- ? 'ed was decided upon. I A.levy of 10/ will bc imposed upon , unionists to help tho campaign, and tho ! townspeople are being asked to volun tarily subscribe the same amount. The hotel bar boycott has now lasted six weeks, and the boycott committee is paying the wages of the three bar jincn out of employment. ' It will last until bottled beer has been reduced from 1/9 to 1/3, and the ! Hotel Victoria bar is 'thrown open to ? the public. '

RECALLED SOLDIERS UNIFORMS AND BADGES. I MELBOURNE, Sa'tnrdny.-In mili i tary orders issued to-day it is notified ' that members of the Australian Im ¡ peria] Forces and naval and military I expeditionary forces who cmbaik for 'service abroad, and proceeded outside [territorial waters before teing ordered back owing to tho signing of the nrm ! isticc, are to be treated as returned [soldiers in regard to tho retention of I uniform and the issue of badges. Army Medical Corps personnel, men who 1 enlisted for duty on hospital ships, and members of tho oversea transport ser viro are not included in the regula tion.

RECALLED TRANSPORT BOONAH. MEN RETURN1" TO MELBOURNE. j MELBOURNE. Saturday.-By spe cial train from Adelaide this afternoon I a further contingent of men from thc I recalled transport Boonah arrived in Melbourne. Tho party consisted of 180 Victorians, and 95 troops for N.S.AV. The men for this State were taken to thc baso finalisation depot, where they met their relatives, and their cases were dealt with. The re mainder of the troops left for Sydney bv traill. 'An additional special train bringing soldiers from tho Boonah is expected to-morrow morning.

DRAKE'S CARRAGHEEN for Coughs and Colds. A dose 'relieves; a bottle cures.-(Advt.). The ' magnitude of H. Jones and. Co.'s operations. contributes to the I quality of I.X.L. Jami, Canned I Fruits, and SAUCÇS, Always cheapest ' and beat»* -

RETURNED SOLDIERS PROGRESS OF THEIR LEAGUE j APPEAL BY THE PRESIDENT. Lieut.-Colonel AV. K. Bollon, C.B.E., president of tho Returned Sailors' and Soldiers' Imperial League of Australia, issued tho following ap peal to all returned sailors and sold iers :- . Thc league stands ' to-day as a mighty monument that has been erec ted to mark the fact that by keeping shoulder to shoulder nnd adopting the slogan nf "Unity is Strength," there can be built up an organisation that is more than a mero body of members. It is an organisation that lives and moves as one thing. It is a brother hood of men who thought enough of their native land to journey m-ciseas, prepared to s.icri/ltp their all for a principle, and who now have returned to their homeland, and intend to per petuate in thc'civic life of the com munity the high ideals and principles ¡for whirh they fought. I Tim rapid growth cf the leacue dur ing the p.tst six months is shown by the fact that in that period over 20. IOCO new member...

BRlliSH SPORT ' THE FOOTBALL SITUATION. J LONDON" Fri'dñy. -"Äs "thc "JRiîgby Football Union and the Northern Un ion players hare freely played together in anny matches in tho war period, it was anticipated in some quarters ^Imt the Rugby Union would permit a com promiso with, tho Northern Union after {lip war, hut the committee last niglit carried a resolution refnsing to modify professional regulations beyond allowing the present 'position to continuo u,n,til iho end of tho season. There is' ovary prospect of a great Rugby tournament to wind up the -en-, son,! Tho New Zealanders' activity ;is inspiring tho British forces to find their strongest teams. Tile Air Force has prepared an os tensivo'series of aerial games. * '. : A committee has been appointed to'; ohoAse'nn army team to meet New Ze'a-f landers on March 15.

WELCOME HOME SOCIAL TO PENGUIN SOLDIERS. lin Friday night in tho Reclinbito Hall, Penguin, tho periodical wcleomo homo social to returned soldiers was held, tho hall hoing filled to its utmost capacity. Tho Warden, Cr. F. H. Fielding, presided, and expressed his pleasure at such a fino gathering to do honor to our returned soldiers. Ho eulogised tho returned "hoys" fur the splendid oxamplo shown and tim noble duty dono on tho battlefields of Europe, and expressed tho pleasure of the residents of tho municipality to welcomo them on tho occasion of their return, which as Warden ho did with the utmost pleasure. Other speakers were the lîer. L. S. Macdougall, Mr. A.' Hough (president of tho Returned Soldiers' Association), and Mr. W. C. Stuart (hon. secretary of tho Patriotic League). Medals were presented by the Warden on behalf of tho Patriotic i League,, each of which were pinned on tho iirwst of tho following soldiers by relatives or friends in tho audience: Pte. G. M. Bennett, 40th...